The original Clavicula Salomonis

This is my latest acquisition and what can only be described as the pride of my collection.

 It is a 1909 ‘1st Edition’ Clavicula Salomonis.  This is the Kegan Paul edition, which was the first edition for public consumption. The actual first was a private printing by Mathers for friends and members of the Golden Dawn, but I’ve never seen that edition come up for sale, Although I’ve been informed that it has.

The first time I clapped eyes on this it was in the collection of a friend and I wanted to buy it of him as soon as I saw it (it was most certainly not for sale at the time!) The first opportunity did arise a few years ago when his laptop konked out and he needed money to buy a new one. Unfortunately for me I’d just forked out on a MacBook laptop myself, so funds were short.

However, fast forward a couple of years and the same thing happens. This time I was in a position to help. For reasons that would a take a while to go into I had a Sony laptop as well as a MacBook Pro. I was going to ebay the Sony but, for reasons unknown to me, I’d simply not got around to putting it up, which is odd as I’m a regular eBay trader. But the Sony simply sat there.

Maybe the Gods where smiling on me and saying “keep it” but, for whatever reason, I still had it. My friend needed a laptop for work, so I offered it in exchange for the book.

Now, I’m sure some out there would think I’m bonkers for offering a laptop for an old book, but those of us ‘in the know’ would know that this was a good deal, so we exchanged (along with an offer of technical support for the laptop - I do know a thing or two about getting a computer going, I’ve rebuilt this one, my PC, several times in the past, yeah I know A laptop, a PC and A MacBook! I’m a sucker for electronics- I’ve still got an old IBM laptop that’s a backup)

This edition has been recovered in quarter leather and cloth, they've done a good job!

Some foxing along the edge of the pages, but nothing too serious.

Note the images are on blue paper (My thumb nail has gone a funny colour??)